Wordsmith, educator, hobbyist, and devoted family man, Daniel Cabot of West Tisbury died peacefully on August 6, 2024, at Windemere, at the age of 84. With a connection to the Vineyard stretching back to harpooning swordfish with Nelson Blount and manning the pumps for Everett Poole at the Menemsha gas station (now Menemsha Texaco) in the 1950s, Dan returned to the Island for many years as a summer resident before retiring here permanently in 1999 with his wife Nancy, to whom he had been introduced on the Vineyard.
Dan was a talented and creative writer, whose fascination with the English language influenced all areas of his life. His love of literature led him to embrace those with a facility for the written word, ranging from Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and science fiction to limericks, puns, and his own compositions. A master of crossword puzzles and riddles, Dan was also a great storyteller who dabbled in the newspaper business on the Island with stints at the Vineyard Gazette and The MV Times. In 2017 Dan collected his favorite compositions — poems, essays, speeches — in a small volume for his seven grandchildren. Overflowing with passionate and descriptive accounts of his childhood, his adventures on the Vineyard and the wisdom born of more than 75 years of experience, he admitted it was not necessarily great literature, but the book will forever demonstrate to his grandchildren the depth of his thinking and the strength of his writing, as well as his enduring love for them.
Dan’s love of English was most evident in his more than 50 years spent as an educator. For more than 30 years, Dan helped generations of high school students find their voices and sharpen their prose as an English teacher in a variety of independent boarding schools, where he served as a respected teacher, advisor, coach, dorm parent, and administrator. As a teacher, he was demanding but fair, and his critiques of his students’ work always encouraged greater engagement with the material and more thoughtful expression. Following his retirement from Solebury School in 1999, Dan brought his commitment to young people to the Vineyard, working with the Island school board, the M.V. Public Charter School, and church youth groups.
Beyond his professional life, Dan fully engaged himself in a wide variety of hobbies throughout his life. Without any professional training in architecture, engineering, or carpentry, Dan designed and built his family’s home in West Tisbury, beginning in 1972. He undertook several expansions of the house over the years, always serving as the designer and builder. Dan also dabbled in photography, filmmaking, sailing, and the cultivation of bonsai trees, and was a Life Master in contract bridge. With a deep appreciation for nature, he enjoyed hiking around the Island or being on the waters in his sailboat or kayak. In his final time at home, he appreciated both the birds and the squirrels who would visit the feeder outside his window.
Despite his personal accomplishments and interests, the focal point of Dan’s life was his wife Nancy and their ever-expanding family. Over 63 years of marriage, they were inseparable companions throughout their journey together. Upon retirement, they traveled the world, enjoying the art, culture, language, and food of Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.
Dan was especially proud of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandson. He loved to celebrate family achievements, and was happiest when the house was full of not only Cabot family members, but also many cousins, nieces, and nephews from Glimmerglass and from around the country.
Dan was born on Nov. 22, 1939, in Boston. A graduate of the Fenn School, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Harvard, Dan was predeceased by his parents, Harold and Adeline, and his sister Lucia. He is survived by his brother Hal, his wife Nancy, sons Ben, Davies, and Ray and their respective spouses Nicole, Annie, and Amy; as well as grandchildren Tyler, Austin, Violet, Jackson, Chilton, Ali, and Reed; and a great-grandson, Daniel. The family will host a private celebration of Dan’s life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, or to Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard.
